Welcome to another edition
of Linus Lam Network News for 2013! This news report covers our trip
to Otakon 2013 for a huge weekend of anime and manga enjoyment and
a whole lot more! Held at the Balitmore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland
over the weekend of August 9-11, Otakon 2013 saw lots of attendees ready to party on with a bunch of
dedicated artists, live performances, gaming events, cosplay fun, and plenty of opportunities to hang
out with fellow anime and manga fans. Our exciting trip to Otakon 2013 starts here! Coverage you can count on, here at Linus Lam
Network News!

Cosplay:
This year's trip to Otakon
saw lots of inspired costumes from numerous anime and manga characters and more! Chart-topping displays for this year included characters from
Attack on Titan, Maji, Kuroko no Basket, Sailor Moon, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Sword Art Online, League of Legends, Final Fantasy, Evangelion, Bleach, Naruto, Madoka
Magica, and much more! Please check out more cosplay photo coverage from our
Otakon stock convention archives!

Report:
Otakon received a
lot of kudos for this year when it comes to rocking out a 20th Year
Anniversary celebration. From the stupendous Guest of Honor list to
the 20 year veteran Con-Chair memories of running each year from 1994 to
2013, a much improved Registration process and more efficient line
control, a large amount of fan-friendly panels to the amazing concerts,
Otakon can certainly bask in the spirit of over 34,100 unique attendees
who braved all odds of Maryland weather to enjoy the big weekend.

Picking up Press badges was no problem, only a few minutes at the Sheraton
in the early morning and I was on my way! Picking up an extra Pre-Reg
attendee badge was also no problem, a quick process only lasting 5-10
minutes later in the day. Otakon seemed to have a more aggressive
stance on line control what with the incredibly popular Guests attending
this year for autographs and concerts. Many areas were capped off or
diverted but it wasn't really a big problem since it only meant heading
down paths which had existed before but not normally taken.
Examples: to get to Dealers Hall, one had to head down the far right end
of the Convention Center, whereas to get to Artists Alley, one had to
enter through the Pratt St. entrance or through another way. It was
a bit confusing as the routes seemed to change per day. Also, Hall C
Fountains where most of the big cosplay gatherings were hosted got crowded
fast when lines for big video premieres started queuing up. One
always wonders if that down escalator could become a train wreck just
waiting to happen. Thankfully, staffers had stopped it occasionally
to cap off the people going down into that area.

Dealers Hall hadn't changed much since last year. Many large
companies like Crunchy Roll, Daisuki, Viz Media, AniPlex, Funimation, and
many others showing off their latest online wares as well as offering
subscriptions to new attendees. Plushies and figurines were all the
rage this year; I spotted no less than twenty booths selling alpaca
plushies and countless booths selling figurines of all sizes. K-Pop
is becoming a huge business and quickly shadowing over the current market
of J-Pop and J-Rock. Speaking to many fans, K-Pop is certainly a
number one choice for tunes but they still come out in droves for
T.M.Revolution and Yoko Kanno's concerts. The artists alley is big
big big as always, the booths seem to get bigger and taller every
year. Not surprisingly, My Little Pony artwork is everywhere.
Cosplay is always a huge draw for many attendees, so booths like Arda Wigs
did splendid business as well as Lolita fashions, ready-to-wear cosplay
for last-minute cosplayers, and prop weapons like swords, shields, and
bokans.

Additional entertainment is never hard to find. Hall C still boasts
the largest gaming area when it comes to Otakon's standards. The
room comes complete with huge HDTVs packed with XBOXes, PS3s, Nintendo
Wiis, various arcade consoles, PC Gaming, dance machines, pachinko
machines, and RPG/CCG tabletop areas. Karaoke lounge has not changed
much, always in the same room and shares space with tables and chairs to
relax on if you need a quiet place to get away from the crazy
crowds. For the little ones, Otakon has Ota-Chans that offer origami
and finger-painting sessions for when daddy and mommy go shopping or go
crazy at the concerts. Autographs were always a calm affair and the
lines were organized with curtained areas. The Mariner Stadium
hosted the big concerts and that helped to draw most of the huge crowds
away to avoid packing more people into an already super-packed convention
center.

All in all, Otakon remains a personal favorite and for those coming in for
their first time, yes, it is always crazy and crowded. Stay
hydrated, stock up on food in your room, be aware of yourselves around
Baltimore, and you'll do okay!